Write the conversation response. 
 +What does the military overview of Japan include?.
 +Still, the image of Japan as a "military dwarf" was in a sense ironic, as Japan had one of the biggest defense budgets in the world throughout the 1980s and 1990s and defense expenditure is one of the most frequently used indicators of military power..
 +Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?.
 +It also had very advanced naval and air self-defense capabilities..
 +What happened because of the military overview?.
 +The collapse of the Soviet Union and the growing preoccupation of its former republics and the East European nations with internal political and economic problems increased the importance of economic competition, rather than military power, to Japan..
 +What did Japan do with the increased importance of economic competition?.
 +These formerly communist countries were anxiously seeking aid, trade, and technical benefits from the developed countries, such as Japan..
 +What else did you find interesting in this section?.
 +The power of Japan's ally, the United States, was also seen by many as waning..
 +Why was the power of the US waning?.
 +
The United States was forced to look increasingly to Japan and others to shoulder the financial burdens entailed in the transformation of former communist economies in Eastern Europe and other urgent international requirements that fall upon the shoulders of world leaders.